Burmese Cat Breed Information

Burmese Physical Description

The Burmese is a medium sized cat, with an elegant yet well-muscled body. They are not as large and sturdy as the British Shorthair nor as slender and dainty as the Siamese. They are surprisingly heavy for their size when lifted and this is due to their solid muscular physique. The head is carried on a medium neck and is in proportion to the body. In profile the head is deep from the top of a domed skull to the lower jaw. The brow is rounded. The nose will show a distinct break and the tip of the nose will be level with the chin. The chin is deep and firm. Viewed from the front the face resembles a short blunt wedge with wide cheekbones tapering to the muzzle. The ears are set well apart with a rounded dome between and are broad at the based with a rounded tip and are tilted slightly forward. The outer line of the ears continues smoothly into the line of the face although in mature males who have developed jowls this may not be so apparent. The eyes are set well apart with the top line slanting towards the nose and the bottom being rounded. The eyes are large and lustrous and may be any shade of yellow but a golden yellow is preferred. However the eye colour of Burmese is very sensitive to variations in light quality and under certain light sources the eyes may appear quite a different colour. The legs are slender and the paws are neat and oval in shape. The tail is straight with no kinks or bumps and ends in a rounded paintbrush tip. If the tail is the correct length it will reach to the shoulder when brought round the side of the body.

Burmese Character

The Burmese cat is an extremely friendly and affectionate creature and needs attention from human beings to be happy when kept in a domestic environment. They are extremely playful and can be taught to fetch pieces of paper in much the same way as a dog with a stick and are good with children and so make wonderful family pets. They are also very sensitive to their owner’s feelings. If the owner is likely to be out all day it is often a good idea to have two Burmese, as they can become bored very quickly with no one to play with.

Burmese Grooming

Burmese cats do not require excessive grooming as they take care of this themselves but they will enjoy the attention that comes with brushing.

Burmese Feeding

An active, adult Burmese cat requires 80 Kcals per kg body weight per day. This will be met by the Metabolizable Energy content of the food, i.e. the proportion of the food, which can be used by the body. Therefore the quantity given must be in excess of this, as some will be wasted in the digestive process. However, Burmese cats rarely overeat and in practice it will become obvious how much your cat requires each day. Many Burmese are fed dry food ad lib.

Burmese Colour

The short glossy coat is a distinctive feature of the Burmese. The coat is fine and lies close to the body. The Burmese cat comes in ten colours but in all colours the under parts will be lighter than the back and the shading will be gradual.

Burmese Health and Life Expectancy

Burmese cats are quite robust healthwise and are not really susceptible to any particular problems. Like any breed of cat they do need to be vaccinated regularly against cat flu and feline enteritis. They should also be wormed regularly against roundworm and tapeworm especially if they are allowed out to hunt. If your cat is allowed outside, external parasites such as fleas, lice, ticks and mites can be a problem but they are easily dealt with by using the modern preparatory treatments.